The Heart of Spiritual Growth

So you’ve just become a Christian! You’ve recognized that Jesus is your personal savior, and you want to live for him. But how do you do that?

There is an inward and outward answer to this question. The outward answer is probably the simple one and creates the framework for season 1 of The Delight Podcast; Biblical habits. The four foundational ones (but there are more) are Bible reading, meditation, prayer and Church.

We read the Bible so that we can hear God speak. We meditate upon it so that we can apply God’s word effectively into our lives. We pray to God because we are now in a living relationship with him. We get involved in a local Church because this is our new spiritual family.

However, even though these habits are essential to the Christian life, they are not at the heart of the Christian life. They are simply the outward workings of an inward reality. The heart of spiritual growth is a heart that is captivated by Christ. It is captivated because it remembers who we were before we met him. We were sinners destined for judgement. But God, out of an overflowing love for us his enemies, sent his one and only son Jesus Christ to die to save us. We are now forgiven. We are now God’s beloved children.

With this in mind, hear God’s advice for spiritual growth:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Did you notice the repeated the phrase? “Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him.” In short, Christian growth is all about Jesus. Did you know that the roots of an oak tree spread out four to seven times the width of the tree’s crown?¹ Christians need to be like oak trees. We need to spread out deeper and deeper, further and further, into Jesus Christ.

So, if you desire to grow as a Christian then listen to the Delight Podcast and practice the Biblical habits we speak about. But do them not so that you can become good at them. But do them so that by them you may come to know and delight in the Lord Jesus Christ each and every day.

by Adam Curtis

1 https://homeguides.sfgate.com/root-system-oak-trees-48319.html